Unexpected death of hen

[KrystleJones]

My poor leghorn Brie passed this weekend, she had been acting completely normal until Saturday when she and Nutmeg stayed in the coup. I had gone out to feed them and thought they weren't ready to come out before leaving, but when I came back from work they were both still in there and hadn't come out all day even with the coup open.

My husband called me Sunday to tell me he found her dead, when I got home and looked at her I checked to feel if she was egg bound but nothing there. She was completely healthy 3 year old hen, my best layer.

Nutmeg is so depressed and doesn't want to come out of the coup and didn't want to leave her when she was dead in the nesting box. I'm not sure if she'll die too since she has no friend and gets too lonely.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

My poor leghorn Brie passed this weekend, she had been acting completely normal until Saturday when she and Nutmeg stayed in the coup. I had gone out to feed them and thought they weren't ready to come out before leaving, but when I came back from work they were both still in there and hadn't come out all day even with the coup open.

My husband called me Sunday to tell me he found her dead, when I got home and looked at her I checked to feel if she was egg bound but nothing there. She was completely healthy 3 year old hen, my best layer.

Nutmeg is so depressed and doesn't want to come out of the coup and didn't want to leave her when she was dead in the nesting box. I'm not sure if she'll die too since she has no friend and gets too lonely.

So sorry for your loss -- more concerning than grief is that Nutmeg spent so much time in such close proximity with Brie given that Brie's cause of death is unknown. Did you examine Brie at all before she had passed to check for possible clues as to the ailment? Knowing what it is is going to play into whether or not it was communicable and how concerned you need to be about Nutmeg and the rest of your flock.

 

[KrystleJones]

She looked normal, no blood or anything out of the ordinary, and I checked to see if she was egg bound nothing there. They hadn't been laying much at all the last month due to the heat here in Houston.

I cleaned the coup very thoroughly, and while Nutmeg was out of the coup she was digging for bugs and wandering the yard. I checked the droppings in the coup and they looked normal too. I had just the two of them, so I am now worried about Nutmeg being lonely.

 

[chick magnate]

We had that happen to. One hen died and I checked and there was no blood no scratches nothing. She was a good egg layer to. It's sad.